Suprising Scranton & Wilkes-Barre PA
 

These historic cities in Northeastern PA have rich architectural historys dating from the affluent years of the anthracite coal industry, iron & steel, first steam railroads, first electric trolley (Scranton) etc. The rich folk hired renowned architects from New York, Chicago and Philly to execute designs and public works. Hopefully these fine old cities are about to reverse many years of decline.
Here's a mess of photos, seven pages in all captioned as "Scranton and Wilkes Barre" 1-7 in the following link plus other links, including a "Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Wilkes-Barre" contained within the link to the "W/B Chamber of Connerce" site. This'll keep you busy for a while! Enjoy!
http://wwww.netsmartinc.com/ncphotos...e_photos_1.htm

Both are delightful cities with rich heritages located in a gorgeous area. It's really not fair that these great cities as experiencing such severe decline... especially while neighboring counties like Pike and Monroe experience the fastest population growth in Pennsylvania!

More Wilkes-Barre: here's a link to great skyline views....




http://www.emporis.com/en/il/pc/?id=102604&aid=3&sro=1

And, more Scranton...while I'm at it.... nice city, Scranton.



http://www.emporis.com/en/il/pc/?id=102389&aid=3&sro=1

Beer & Building fans...check out the history and PICS of Wilkes-Barre's Historic Stegmaier Brewery, located downtown!! A new use for an amazing 19th century building!


http://www.oldbeerstuff.com/stegupdt.html

AHHHH Home.....
 

Its nice to see my hometown get some attention in tthis forum. I live right between WB and Scranton and lived here most of my life. Yes it is quaint here, this area is different then the rest of PA- we were settled by New Englanders in the Northeast Corner ofthe state and in WB and Scranton you could DEFINATELY feel the yankee vibe (and we drink CAAHHHHFEE and WAAAAATAH not KAWFEE like New Yorkers)

Unfortunately I need to get out of here- there isnt much future here. People here are clannish and rather indifferent to change. The DT's of both cities are very clean, neat, and safe bt there isn't much to do unless you like bingo and polka........ Of course there is plenty of ethnic Polish and Italian food around for those NOT watching their carbs!!! :)

BY the way I worked in that Stegmaier building for 3 years- It's really neat inside and out.

Nice to hear from you. I left the Wilkes-Barre Scranton area after college for several years in New York City...it was a more exciting life, yes ( I got to work for the NYS Urban Development Corp., a very interesting job in a dynamic organization..ultimately worked on Roosevelt Island Project), but the Northeastern PA community has more to offer than ever and the people, by and large are wonderful, generous and kind..a rarity in todays brusque, rude money-grubbin' world.
Sorry you aren't enjoying it more there. You've got almost 20,000 college kids there, a wonderful new 10,000 seat arena...lotsa shows..., the Penguins' great farm hockey team, the Red Barons (PHillies) in a great 12,000 seat stadium setting, the 20,000 seat Montage (ski area) concert venue for top national bands. Knoebel's amusement park ( www.knoebels.com)with two top rated wooded coasters, The PHOENIX is often in the top 10); you aren't far from New York or Philly and on and on. There's a lot to be said for recreation with the Poconos nearby plus Steamtown and its trains, the Dorflinger glass Museum at White Mills. The area's great all in all, but as a young guy, you might need a dose of BIG CITY, like I did.
PS I see that DT WIlkes-Barre is FINALLY getting moving with some projects including a 14 cinema-plex,with 28 loft .apartments and retail. Booyah!!!
Here's a link to that project...http://wilkesbarre.org/external/sout...th1/index.html

donybrx... you hit it ... not only does the Scranton-WB metro have a lot to offer in itself... but its proximity to other great areas makes it an enviable location

I guess............
 

Well thats all good if your lucky enough to find a job here - otherwise (degree or no degree) you end up having to choose between telemarketing, light industrial, certified nurses aide, joining the military, or sell avon

It depends on yout lifestyle too. Northeast PA is a very "color within the lines" life. If your eccentric or "different" in any way it is not easy to fit in.

Because of the sense of deep roots, Northeast PA (at least W-B or Scranton) are GREAT PLACES TO BE BORN AND RAISED. I wouldn't recommend then to outsiders as a place to move to. THE POCONOS, yes, but Wilkes-Barre, Scranton or anything in the blue collar anthracite areas-----NO!!!!!!!!!

If you like ethnic food HOWEVER of the Polish or Italian type, then come visit one of our many ethnic festivals (as long as your not on the Atkins Diet...lol)!!!

Well, I guess you won't be applying to the Chamber of Commerce for work....or maybe ostensibly the directorship. All things are possible, but a positive attitude helps thought a sense of reality is healthy too.
PS I wish I had some of that food here.. A Stookey's BarB Que (pork wet) would do my soul a lot of good today....unfortunately West Nanticoke os 7 hours west)

My parents grew up in the Blakley area. They eventually moved to upstate NY. I still have some relatives in the area, and our family reunions are held there. I love the accents in NE PA, but the taste of the water (at least in Peckville) leaves a bit to be desired. I hope the region makes a turn-around. Seems like the proximaty to many of the east coast population centers would be a great selling point for future investment.

Hope you don't mind if I post a couple pics from a trip last fall. Unfortunately I've deleted most the pics from my host, but here's what's left:

Wilkes-Barre (wish someone would salvage the old hotel area)

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/da.../375wbpa16.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/da.../375wbpa07.jpg

Scranton

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/da...375scrpa32.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/da...375scrpa19.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/da...375scrpa01.jpg

WB/ Scranton A GREAT PLACE TO GET YOUR DIETARY FIBER ! :D
 

Scranton and WB are both cute cities and cozy as far as aesthetics warmly nestled in the mountains. It's more the proud, stubborn, provincial, yankee attitudes that get on my nerves sometimes. :-/

As for the chamber of commerce- they try to put on an optimistic front, but the commonfolk here take a lot of pride on being practical and realistic (the I TELL IT LIKE IT IS attitude can resemble pessimism sometimes) Optimism gets a condescending "gag me" attitude here.

If you wish to pursue BIG dreams- theres L.A.- If you wish for a practical, realistic, dietary fiber-like lifestyle, well we're the other extreme.

DONYBRX- Do you live in Maine now?????, cause even Boston is only 5 hrs away (closer than Pittsburgh) Stookey's BBQ is all over now- even downda' road from my house. But I wouldn,t call BBQ our specialty. For BBQ you may wish to go south of Hazleton into PA Dutch country.

New York city is about an hour and 45 mins depending on traffic...

Ex-Ithacan: Nice hearing your input. I like the pics, particularly the shot of Scranton from the Central Scranton Expressway that over- looks the old Lackawanna Station. Interesting to note, that among the buildings in downtown Scranton is the Scranton Times building which once had a very tall tower of polished aluminum 3 or 4 stories in itself. It was a standout on Scranton's then skyline.
As to saving the Hotel Sterling, you'll be happy to know that an organization has succeeded in getting rid of the previous owner (who allowed the building to fall to shreds) by processing his considerable tax delinquencies to wrest the property. The building has been secured against the elements and it is proposed for reclamation, hopefully as hotel or mixed use. The oriiginal, 7 story aspect is well over 100 years old, very very elegant spaces. The tower is newer, 1930'3 or 40's? and contains a luxury apartment on top. I think that the org saving it is called the Diamond City Partnership ( list of their projects appears ont the Wilkes-Barre chamber of Commerce website, I think). They are also proposing a riverside
performance area of some consequence and a Susquehanna River Museum in the area. They had intended to use the Irem Temple building and auditorium nearby ( a Moorish, style fantasy built by the Shriners with four minarets & a large auditorium (North Franklin Street)...neat bulding, but probably won't after all.

Thanks dony, great to hear the hotel may have a second life. There are so many beautiful old bldgs between the 2 cities. Scranton seems to be accomplishing quite a bit of rehab downtown.

Best yet photos of old Wilkes-Barre on the below link!!! I was elated to run across these. Check 'em out, city lovers! There's a great shot of the Hotel Sterling lobby, too. There are many more photos and much more info on the area, within the links provided in this 'site' both up top and on left hand columns. Have fun!

http://home.epix.net/~captclint/local_scenes2.html

Sorry to ramble on, but these are exemplary pics of old Wilkes-Barre and should not be missed: http://home.epix.net/~captclint/local_scenes10.html

Best places to get good shots of both cities...
 

Actually to do the best justice to each skyline without a helicopter.

Wilkes-Barre it would be from the South St bridge or the Heights section, The challenge: Finding a public space to get those pics taken. I guess I'm not as gutsy or daring as I used to be. The South Street bridge also has this thin grail over it that blurs the view.

For Scranton its from the Scranton Expressway coming from the WEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just don't know of a comfy place to pull over unless I can find me a good friend in West Scranton to get the pics- This angle shows more grit - BUT it shows how big the city really is (or WAS....lol).

*******I have some pics- some good shots from a Mtn lookout by the mountain east of Scranton but have no server that allows hotlinking. If anyone is interested I'd email them. Wilkes-Barre too as well as some nature and mountain shots. I love taking pics.

looking good! PA cities look great to me, much like WNY.

LJinPA: I agree, those perspectives of the skylines of both Wilkes-Barre and Scranton are great. I also like going into Wilkes-Barre across the Market St. bridge from Kingston ( a beautiful bridge designed by the same firm (Lescaze?) that designed the Fifth Avenue library in New York City). It take you thru the portals of the bridge and into two blocks of tall buildings, both sides and then to Public Square...which opens out.
There used to be a wonderful view of the whole city from Rte 11 where it rises from Plymouth on the west Side to a bluff before descending into the "narrows'. However, with development of commercial buildings, the view has been miserably blocked.
If you go up E. Northampton Street all the way to the mountain top ( the route of the annual Giants' Despair race) in the winter, there's a rehab facility (once an FM Kirby mansion with a commanding view of the wyoming Valley especuially at night.
FOR those who've never been to the area, the two cities line a vast valley nearly forty miles long developed with towns and cities... a spectaular ribbon viewed from the air or from I-81 heading north from the Nuangola exit, then over the mountain to WB.
Or from I-81 south of Wilkes Barre around the Highland Boulevard exit, althouh new development below has obscured the distant dramatic view of downtown below in the river valley. Great nighttime views.
If I recall, there's a great vista of Scranton from Rte. 11 at the top of the hill descending down into the city's valley. Maybe you can clarify, LJ.